How to make myself more appealing as a part loaner

Brilliant suggestions - also say you will have rider insurance, people like that and most loaners insist on it. It's a good idea to get some, even when you're riding at a riding school.
 
i advertised one of ours for a part loan scenario the other week. I was looking for someone just like you, who was local. I was inundated with people who are over 30mins drive away. I didnt think anyone would want to drive that far for long. Also because my lad is a pure draught, i had a few who looked a bit too heavy . Yes hes full draught, but hes also 16 with a bit of arthritis so i wanted a more lightweight rider. So in your shoes id highlight your commitment, experience and your weight.
 
I think to say you are a sympathetic rider at a competent level should be enough for anyone and I wish you all the luck, I had to go through quite a few shares prior to finding my lovely loan horse and I found the more people I was around at the yard and also during my lessons opened up lots of opportunities to meet people and find horses to ride.
 
I wouldn't consider you a novice - far from it with all that experience.

I would just apply for the ones you like the look of, tell them about all your experience and explain just what your looking for in the share/loan.

I'd wager a large proportion would jump at the chance for someone just like yourself.
 
I part loan two ponies. Both were word of mouth and not from cold calls but I have done an advert myself in the past and it did generate some nice horses. The most important thing is you’re on a similar wave length to the owners. I really like both of my shares owners. They’re lovely caring people who look after their animals well. Took a bit of time to settle down to my two but love them.
 
peacheswillow said:
Well you all sound like lovely, sympathetic, reasonable owners! Can I come loan all of your horses? 😂

@cold_feet I'm in the north east

@Polos Mum Id find that absolutely fair if I turned up to you and your horse, in fact its what id expect, I'm there to help, not create more work for you.

Thanks @Abacus shame I'm the other end of the country!
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A shame I’m another one at the other end of the country!
 
pistolpete said:
I part loan two ponies. Both were word of mouth and not from cold calls but I have done an advert myself in the past and it did generate some nice horses. The most important thing is you’re on a similar wave length to the owners. I really like both of my shares owners. They’re lovely caring people who look after their animals well. Took a bit of time to settle down to my two but love them.
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Oh yes I've met some pretty nutty owners too whose horses and horse care I was uncomfortable with don't be tempted to stick it out if you don't feel safe etc.
 
peacheswillow said:
Well you all sound like lovely, sympathetic, reasonable owners! Can I come loan all of your horses? 😂

@cold_feet I'm in the north east

@Polos Mum Id find that absolutely fair if I turned up to you and your horse, in fact its what id expect, I'm there to help, not create more work for you.

Thanks @Abacus shame I'm the other end of the country!
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I'm in the north east! I'll rack my brain if I know someone! Unfortunately my bigger mare is very unwell at the moment and rather complicated to ride so wouldn't be suitable but if you want some more stable management experience just send me a message, I used to teach at a riding school so I know it's difficult to get hands on experience!
 
Sorry another thought! Depending on where you're located an old fashioned paper advert on the notice boards such as at Mole Valley in Hexham (I know people from all over shop for feed there) is definitely worth a shot, don't want to generalise but some older horsey folk aren't on the likes of facebook but have horses kicking about that they'd like riders for
 
Barklands said:
Sorry another thought! Depending on where you're located an old fashioned paper advert on the notice boards such as at Mole Valley in Hexham (I know people from all over shop for feed there) is definitely worth a shot, don't want to generalise but some older horsey folk aren't on the likes of facebook but have horses kicking about that they'd like riders for
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This is a good idea! I had thought about posting actual notes through gates of various yards locally as I appreciate not everyone is glued to Facebook and on the various loan pages.

Sorry to hear about your mare, I hope things improve for her soon ❤️
 
peacheswillow said:
Well you all sound like lovely, sympathetic, reasonable owners! Can I come loan all of your horses? 😂

@cold_feet I'm in the north east

@Polos Mum Id find that absolutely fair if I turned up to you and your horse, in fact its what id expect, I'm there to help, not create more work for you.

Thanks @Abacus shame I'm the other end of the country!
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Shame you’re not near me as I’d happily offer you one of my ponies to share. I think you have to rewrite your advert a little like you’d write a cv draw attention to the positives and reframe so you represent yourself as the level of rider that you actually are.
 
I think different people can mean wildly different things by the term ‘novice’! For someone looking to part loan/share their dressage horse, a ‘novice’ would probably be someone who doesn’t know how to ride in an proper outline, even though they might be a very experienced rider. For someone advertising a horse that’s mostly used for hacking but the horse is forward or prone to spooking or a bit nappy, then ‘novice’ probably means someone who hasn’t ridden much or doesn’t have any experience of these behaviours.

I wouldn’t be too put off by the term. Instead, look at how the advert describes the horse and think about your experience in terms of whether it matches that. And look at what sort of riding they want someone to do with their horse. If you’re unsure there’s no harm in messaging/calling and telling them a bit about yourself and experience.

I am in a similar boat to you and over the years have ridden lots of horses that don’t belong to me. I’m not an amazing rider and haven’t had a lesson in years but for hacking and low level stuff you don’t need to be, it’s more important to have had experience with some difficult horses and to be a responsible person that they can trust!
 
peacheswillow said:
Oh yes I do have riders and liability insurance so I'll be sure to add that, thanks!
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Have you been able to hack out on your own at the riding school? That would be a big deciding factor for me. I'd want someone that I knew would be able to cope with solo hacking if there was no one around to go out with. When I was horseless I went to a local riding school. I only wanted to hack so went out with the owner a couple of times and then she was happy for me to go out on my own.
 
If I was loaning my horse and he wasn't a highly strung Arab and a more sensible sort, I may advertise no novices as I wouldn't want joy riding teens who just want to rag them around. I would be much more open to a grown adult who maybe isn't owner standard but is ultimately sensible and trust worthy. I would certainly not be offended if you rang and were completely honest but said you are sensible etc

Ooooo I'm also North East - Durham - so let us know where you are and we may be able to help :)
 
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Chianti said:
Have you been able to hack out on your own at the riding school?
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This is the catch 22 situation. Most riding schools are required by the licensing authority and, I think, the BHS as well, to have all clients supervised by a member of staff when riding or handling a horse. Thus I never ever rode my great favourite solo. But one is allowed to ride a share solo. I cant even remember my first solo ride, but it was probably riding the lesson horse a few hundred yards from the outdoor school back to the yard. And having done that, I continued to hack her solo throughout her old age.
If one is known to hack a horse solo, it is likely that one will be allowed to do so again.
 
At least you are being honest about your experience.

As someone who is currently looking for someone to ride my mare occasionally, I really value honesty. There's a lot of people advertising themselves who are frankly covering themselves with BS.

So sorry you feel marginalised.
 
Skib said:
This is the catch 22 situation. Most riding schools are required by the licensing authority and, I think, the BHS as well, to have all clients supervised by a member of staff when riding or handling a horse. Thus I never ever rode my great favourite solo. But one is allowed to ride a share solo. I cant even remember my first solo ride, but it was probably riding the lesson horse a few hundred yards from the outdoor school back to the yard. And having done that, I continued to hack her solo throughout her old age.
If one is known to hack a horse solo, it is likely that one will be allowed to do so again.
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I've been allowed to do this at two different riding schools. One was years ago at a school registered with the ABRS. I'd been out for ages on private hacks - just me with one member of staff. One day the owner told me that no one would be able to take me out the next week but I could go on my own if I wanted to, as her insurance would cover it. The other was a couple of years ago at a very good school which wasn't BHS or ABRS. I went out a couple of times with the owner and then she was happy for me to go out alone. I can quite clearly remember the first time I hacked out on my own after learning at a riding school. This was on a horse that I would go on to take on loan. I was absolutely petrified and this affected the horse who spooked at anything and everything in her path. Despite this we went on to have years of happy hacking together. I always feel sorry for riders who can't hack out on their own as it's completely different to hacking in company.
 
Skib said:
Not always fair. I had shared and hacked solo for years before I learned to put on a bridle and that was only with my present share who takes the bit in her mouth and shows me how to do it.
My previous share was known to bite peope and was only to be bridled by staff. I did eventually bridle her myself, but that was after years of grooming her.
What most RS riders do learn to do is to twist the reins and secure them with the throat lash.
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Which is precisely what would've made you unappealing as a sharer to many horse owners at that point.

That's not a personal value judgement, but it's the reality of the situation. The OP has evidently been proactive to avoid falling into that category, though, which is a credit to them.
 
Skib said:
This is the catch 22 situation. Most riding schools are required by the licensing authority and, I think, the BHS as well, to have all clients supervised by a member of staff when riding or handling a horse. Thus I never ever rode my great favourite solo. But one is allowed to ride a share solo. I cant even remember my first solo ride, but it was probably riding the lesson horse a few hundred yards from the outdoor school back to the yard. And having done that, I continued to hack her solo throughout her old age.
If one is known to hack a horse solo, it is likely that one will be allowed to do so again.
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Sorry if my reply goes a bit off topic but I strongly feel that people need to accept that horses and ponies are big potentially dangerous animals that can kick bite push people over and stand on toes. People can get hurt. This needs to be accepted as part of being around a horse whether riding or just handling. We all had to learn. We've all been hurt to some degree.we learn from our mistakes. I just dispare of modern day suing everyone culture.
 
If I was looking for a sharer for a sensible horse (so someone like you) what would interest me is:

- are you confortable in walk, trot, canter both in the arena and on hacks
- have you experience of hacking alone
- are you willing to have lessons regularly
- do you have experience in basic horse care/able to recognise when there is an issue that needs attentiion
- are you independant enough to arrive, catch the horse, tack up, make sure everything is secure after and look after my stuff
- what interests you, why you want to share a horse (I would be wary of people who say they want to build a bond without having any other aim in mnid, even to do something they are currently not capable of doing)

I wouldn't be expecting you to train my horse, just to be competent enough to not teach bad habits and to enjoy time with them. So just be wary if it seems that the person is asking you to do too much. And make sure you have a written agreement of who is responsible for what, what days/times you can come, who pays in the event of injury to the horse or damage caused by you or the horse (with mine it is always me unless the sharer did something irresponsible then they pay half, and my sharer has insurance for third parties and themselves in case of accident).

I think people put no novices because they are inundated with people that once went on pony club camp when they were nine and have no idea of what it really takes to ride all through a winter, and tend to drop out fairly quickly.
 
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